The Downward Spiral
by Karma7K
Summary: War. The dark time of valor, loss, and hope. Where man is controlled by his weapon and the weapon is controlled by hate. Completely uncontrollable. Completely unpredictable. GaaIno.
1. Mr Self Destruct

The Downward Spiral

Chapter One

**Mr. Self Destruct **

_I speak religion's message clear . . . and I control you__  
__I am denial guilt and fear . . . and I control you__  
__I am the prayers of the naive . . . and I control you__  
__I am the lie that you believe . . . and I control you_

_-Nine Inch Nails_

Right now, it was so dark, she could barely make out the contour of Choji'd body as he lay face down in the beautiful blue water that was beginning to look like wine. He had not cried out, even now as the sickle that had stole from him floated by his still beating heart. Bubbles popped beside his cheeks. His hands dug into the pebbles below. And as he struggled to roll himself over, Ino felt herself moving toward the water's edge. Gravel and mud swallowed her knees, calves, and wrists as she scrapped along. The wind beat against her wet clothes, pushing her forward and nearly throwing her headlong into the shallow water. Her hair flew about her face, sticking to her cheeks and cutting into her eyes. Tears streaked through the sheets of blood and sweat that marred her beauty.

Choji sat up, pale, bruised, and blank. He felt around in the water by his knees, and slowly felt of the mush beneath his palm. His face puckered and his eyes followed the ever spreading blood. His legs were at opposite ends of the stream. One lay against the stone below him and to the right, the small waves knocking it gently. The other bled out into the grass, just out of his reach. He drew in a ragged breath and let himself fall back into the water. His hands straight by his sides grasping just below his knees.

Behind them, the chilling laughter of their attacker resonated throughout the forest. The laugh of two men trapped in one body. The leaves blew hard, bringing the laugh closer, mingling it with rustling and the rumbling thunder. Above, the sky cried out for vengeance, darkening still to mimic the hopelessness of this war.

As Ino let her upper body into the water, reaching out for Choji, black boots stepped close to her hip. The ball in her throat burst. Sobs racked her body as she slid further in, her muddy legs all that remained on land. Her arms encircled Choji's thigh, and she opened her mouth to cry out for his forgiveness. God—this was all her fault! Choji's eyes looked down at her, slanted. He breathed heavy, as if he were nauseated. A quick hand flew out, burrowing into her hair. Ino moaned, grimacing as she struggled to keep a hold on Choji. The attacker ripped her from the water and slung her against a nearby bush. All while laughing. The man spoke to himself as he stomped towards her. The plant around his head wiggled.

Eyes trained on her fallen friend and his outstretched hand, Ino kept a quivering face and reached into the pouch by the small of her back. Still sobbing as she reached inside. It was empty.

"Aww," the man placated, "What's wrong? Missing something?" One side of his face smiled while the other licked its chops.

Ino's hands, laying limply behind her now, twitched. They ached. This man, she thought, had no idea about her family jutsu. If he would step a little more to the left, so that she could make out his eyes through her blurred vision—her head pounded, and she felt blood mixing with the sweat on the back of her neck. Her head had struck too hard against this tree.

He stepped in front of her and knelt down, smiling fully now with wicked eyes. Grasping her shoulders, he raised a lip and leaned down. Ino flung herself forward, her own hands gripped his. His nails bit into the flesh at the bend on her neck, breaking it open. It stung. But before she had time to consider the pain, the man made his move. Growing, he head-butted Ino. At least she had tried, she thought as she beat her fists against her attacker's chest. He stood with fists full of her shirt, and Ino looked down at her feet as they lifted off the ground. This man, he chuckled and licked the sweat from Ino's chin. He tore at the cloth between her legs and she opened her mouth to scream out. A blade ripped at her thigh, and it took a minute—her dropping hard against her back—before Ino realized that the blade had not belonged to the Akatsuki member. As she starred up at the grey sky and it began to rain once more, Ino laughed. Her laugh was barely a whisper. Bitter. But she laughed despite herself and the situation. She dared not move as a maroon cloth flapped overtop of her. So others were still alive. It didn't matter. Even if this person saved her, Shikamaru was dead, Choji was bleeding out, and they had still lost. But her apparent savior stepping in was a commendable act, to say the least. Even if nothing mattered. Tears dripped as she continued laughing, her eyes now squeezed shut. She heard the men fighting, and she stopped laughing. They were stopping?

Ino dug her heels into the ground and pushed herself back to the tree. She reached up and pulled herself to a sitting position. Splinters pricked at her open palms. Her eyes fixed on the two before her. They were chatting. Her face quivered with dark anticipation. Until she recognized the man nearest her. His maroon jacket now lay in pieces at her attacker's feet. Some of the cloth was between the Akatsuki's teeth.

"Well, you just won't stay dead, will you, Kazekage," the two faced man spat the authoritative titled as if it were laced with acrid sugar. "How's that brother of yours?"

What was his name, Ino asked herself. Her mind raced to say it. Gaara, Suna's Kazekage. Ino wondered if this boy was in shape enough to hold his own against this member of death. Gaara looked ravaged by battle. He stood now in only a tattered long-sleeve mesh top, half of his blue armor, and pants with no shoes. His gourd was nowhere Ino could spot. And the way Gaara's side bled, it was obvious that he was without his sand armor. Could he fight without sand? He looked at the other man with angry disgust and determination. But Ino sensed his nerves. He wasn't certain that he was capable of killing this psychopath, she could tell.

"Please God," Ino sobbed quietly, "Kill him." She gasped when Gaara's bottomless eyes—bleak like her own—looked behind him to acknowledge her. They went back just as quickly, leaving her with a stunning sense of being alone. Has she not lost all hope after all, she pondered, as Gaara tilted his head and twitched his lips.

"I think she doesn't like you very much, Zetsu," Gaara chimed. Ino liked how calm he sounded.

The Akatsuki man laughed and Gaara closed his eyes, grinning peacefully before joining the opponent in laughter. Confused, Ino averted her stare back to Choji, who was now dapped with his upper body out of the water. The voices of the others seemed distant as Ino looked at her friend, wondering. And just as quickly as a breath, the talking ceased. She heard the villain cry out a curse. Her head jerked back. Zetsu ripped a kunai out of his neck and Gaara rushed him. Dropping the blade, Zetsu met the Kazekage halfway. They clashed, and Ino watched, terrified as, like a wild beast, Gaara tore into Zetsu's abdomen with fingers like knives. Zetsu tried to pull away, but Gaara pulled his hand out fast, and with it, chunks of meat. Zetsu fell back. He stopped stumbling and lurched forward, head hanging. He disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Ino heard his laughter withing the forest just as Gaara began a hand sign for a shadow clone. Her head spun and throbbed. She looked at her hand and willed it behind her head. Pulling it away, she smelled her fresh blood before she saw it. Her head had split slightly. Her vision steadily grew worse. She saw Choji now through a haze. And Gaara's voice as he spat curses of anger and pain sounded further and further from her. Everything faded. Everything went away.

–

Gaara's breathing was labored. He allowed himself a cough as he stood, or rather, stooped against the tree branch wedged between his ribcage. The pain was hot. Blood began pooling at his feet as it poured from the wound and made tracks down his body, pulling his pants against it. The smell of the rain forest danced up his nose. He smelled the storm. It was still raining, but now the lightning had picked back up. He used to like rain because he saw it so rarely. Now it only served to remind him of where he stood—overtop the corpse of a man who had thrown in one last fatal blow before dying. The tree branch had fallen from Zetsu's open palm seconds ago, but Gaara remained stooped, gripping with both hands the part molded into his torso. His hands were stained red, and his blood was coagulating. If he moved, he would puncture a lung.

Carefully, he looked behind him. She, the leaf ninja, was fine from what he could see. But her head was bleeding. Gaara could tell because her pale hair was turning magenta.

"Hey," he chocked. "If you're alive, move something." Her lack of response worried him. His face bunched and he opened his mouth to speak again, when blood dribbled from his lips down his chin. "Please move," he coughed. "I need you to—" Another cough sent gobs of blood down his neck. He couldn't stop hacking.

The sound of his dying stirred something in the bushes, and as his body gave way and fell further onto the branch, a figure fell from the tree above him.

—

Withered hands worked his torso, hot against his ripped flesh. From her place near Choji's crying form, Ino watched the elderly Mist ninja heal the Kazekage. She, this mysterious woman, had been at this for at least three hours. First Choji—sealing leg wounds and rousing him, then Ino—healing the gash on the back of her head. Now Gaara, who looked dead, save for the bloody bubbles coming from his nostrils.

"Who are you?" Ino asked as she stroked Choji's hair, his head in her lap. Her voice was rough and strained. Her throat, raw.

"Bachika," the old woman said, wiping the sweat from her face with the back of her arm, yet smearing Gaara's blood like war paint. Fitting. "This one will take the longest."

**

* * *

**

**Tada!**

**This idea has been eating at me for weeks now. I've actually been working on something entirely different, but this tale of love on the battlefield would not hush. So here it is begun. Let me know what you think. Critique is welcome, but flames are not. **

**I have a hard time finding free space in a day to write unless I sit at the park. And the neighborhood I live in is kind of. . .uh. So I don't sit down there alone often, which means updates will be slightly slow. But I promise at least once a month to update. Comment to keep my mojo going?**


	2. Piggy

Chapter Two

**Piggy**

_Hey pig__  
__Yeah you__  
__Hey pig piggy-pig pig pig__  
__All of my fears came true__  
__Black and blue and broken bones _

_You left me here. I'm all alone__  
__My little piggy needed something new__  
__Nothing can stop me now__  
__I don't care anymore__  
__Nothing can stop me now__  
__I just don't care__  
__Hey pig_

_-Nine Inch Nails_

Despite the season, temperatures were smoldering. Five miles back, this had not been the case. Bachika wheezed as she sat atop Gaara's floating sand. What little was left. Choji sat beside her. Silent. Ino had not heard him make a sound since he had stopped crying last night. Kankuro, bundled in a mass of randomly collected cloth, lay on Bachika's other side. His face was soaked in sweat. Purple war paint now lightly coated his neck from where it had melted and Gaara had blotted at it. His complexion was almost green. He kept his face tightly scrunched, and he moaned constantly. Ino wanted him to die. Not because she harbored ill will, but because the sounds of his agony bore down on all of them. Choji had seemed even more depressed since Gaara had pulled his brother from the cave of built up sand earlier that morning. Bachika had become infuriated with the Kazekage soon after the now group of five left camp. "Just put him out of his misery," the Mist ninja had hissed. "He's as good as dead, and he's making the rest of us crazy!" Despite his protest, it was obvious Gaara was also bothered. He seemed vacant as he walked behind everyone. Mostly he stared through them, only speaking to instruct direction. Ino assumed he was coming to terms with the death of his sister, teacher, and student. His brother would be dead before nightfall. Whatever was pulsing through Kankuro's veins was eating the flesh on his torso and chest. His heart-rate was below forty beats per-minute. And there was nothing she could do. He could not speak and had wet himself twice.

Pulling her thoughts, Ino slowed to allow the cloud of sand to pass her. She matched Gaara's pace and caught the look of displeasure drifting briefly across his face. Despite this, she persisted. Ino cleared her throat and watched pebbles fight her toes. "We should turn back. It's too hot. Bachika's lungs can't take this." She paused, not waiting for a response, but testing the waters. After deciding she was right to discuss it, she went on. "Kankuro won't make it to tomorrow," she said firmly, sighing after, sympathetically. "But if we keep on, he won't see noon."

"I'm aware."

Ino looked confused, albeit caught off-guard.

"He's dying. I can't end it myself." He would say no more.

After a moment of silence, Ino assumed Gaara was finished, and she knew exactly what he had meant but dare not say aloud. If they pushed through this heat towards Konoha, Kankuro would die faster. Ino felt her throat close. Her eyes stung. At least Shikamaru had died quickly; she had not watched him suffer, but Ino knew she would not have been able to finish him off, had there been need. Poor Gaara was a strong man to have not crumbled. The world was becoming a cruel place when a ninja began seeing his or her partner, even family, as a liability. And even crueler still with the thought of their body coming back to attack you.

From up ahead, Bachika inspected Choji's stubs. Choji's eyes, tightly shut, quivered from the force. Ino wiped her eyes and began watching her feet again. Her sweat stung her wounds. Her lungs felt heavy.

"We are still too far!" Bachika bitched and pulled her vest off. The heavy material thudded and blew sand across Kankuro's limp legs. "Stop for a rest or," she poised herself at the edge of Gaara's cloud, "leave me here while you pursue this suicide!" She jumped down. Her feet met hard with the gravel, and she fell back. The sound of Bachika's tailbone meeting the earth made Ino gasp.

By this time, the group had come to a halt. From the corner of her eye, Ino saw Gaara's expression.

"Then part ways with us," he snapped.

Bachika writhed on the ground, rocking and rubbing her back.

"In your state of heath," the Kazekage bit, "you're useless to me."

"Gaara," Ino dragged out his name shocked and dismayed. "Stop it."

He showed no sign of having registered Ino's voice. His face was a mixture of feelings as he continued lashing out. Bachika stopped rocking, standing warily, in obvious pain. Hateful words fell from both mouths and made the scorching heat close in. Ino begged for silence but went on being ignored. Her hands in her hair, she wildly shut the bickering out, searching for calm. But all she could hear now was Kankuro. She felt light headed. The heat seeped into her body and she began swallowing repeatedly. Her chest began burning and she felt crushed. As the grass beside of her raced forward, her ears could hear only her own heart beat.

She awoke, chilled. Shivering, Ino drowsily felt around. Her arms swam forward and back; she lifted her hands then let them drop and splash. Her vision came back fully, and she saw that she now sat in a hole filled with muddy water. Despite her disgust, Ino was grateful for the cold. She rested her head back, felt something crawling in her hair, ignored it, and looked up. The sun had almost finished setting. Behind her, Ino heard shuffling. She tried to turn, but discovered her range of motion limited. Listening as the person behind her approached, Ino cupped water and let it cascade down her neck. She could tell that outside of her watering hole, the temperature had not changed but slightly, thanks to the darkness. Rubbing the dirty water against her exposed shoulders, Ino gasped, shocked to discover that she was naked. She blanched. "Wha—"

"You had a heat-stroke," Gaara's quiet, indifferent voice rang out directly behind her.

Ino rolled her head back further and looked up at him, looking down at her. Quickly, she crossed her arms across her bare cleavage. Her face reddened. A brown canteen floated next to her hot ear. She could hear the liquid inside slosh.

"Drink this."

Ino's eyes scrunched as she looked into his. She did not miss how the Kazekage let his gaze drift, if only for a second. Gaara shook the canteen and Ino looked at her arms.

Gaara sighed and visibly frowned. "Take it and I'll turn away," he promised. "Your body is depleted. You need electrolytes." Again, he shook the canteen. "Take it."

Hesitantly, Ino let go of one breast and snatched the canteen. She was relieved to see that Gaara was a gentleman and had turned his head for her to do so. She faced forward and turned up the putrid drink, hearing Gaara plop down a fair distance behind her. The liquid inside the canteen was brown. It smelled foul—a mixture of freshly cut grass, iron, and stale urine. The taste was no better. Ino pinched her nose and downed the drink, immediately dropping the canteen into the water and coughing. Deciding that muddy water would taste better, she put some in her mouth, sloshed, and spit. She ran her hand over her face, and deciding that she enjoyed the cool feeling, let herself sink completely under. She heard Gaara chuckle and shift.

"Now you're going to become nauseated," he hummed sarcastically, amused. "You drank it too fast."

Ino pursed her face. He wasn't wrong, of course. Already her stomach felt full and uneasy.

"Just because something tastes bad, doesn't mean you should chug it," Gaara whispered, nonchalant.

Closing her eyes, Ino cursed the Kazekage. More than him, she cursed Kabuto and Sasuke and Madara and the Hokage, and Shikamaru for leaving her. Hours of silence seemed to pass as both parties minded their own business. And suddenly, as she watched a beetle float by her raised knee, Ino realized she and Gaara were utterly alone. Earlier events rushed through her head. Kankuro's moaning had ceased, as had the bickering. Ino, confused, tried turning in her hole. She semi made it, her elbow propped up behind her in the mudd and her body at an odd angle. She looked to where Gaara sat, rubbing a blade of grass between his sweaty fingers. He looked vacant, more so than before. His eyes searched the weed endlessly. It was then Ino noted the caked dirt up to his elbows and the smudged paint on his cheek. Knowing full-well what had gone on in her absence, Ino chose to remain silent. She studied the way the young authority loosened his grip on the grass, allowing the blade to dance down to his curved thigh, his eyes following all the time. He seemed to be handling well on the outside. Ino thought he was probably a wreck inwardly. Clearing her throat, she got his attention. Overpowering eyes darted to meet Ino's and she held in a gasp.

"Where are Choji and Bachika?" she asked, aware that she did well not to mention Kankuro. That elephant needed to be ignored.

"I sent them to follow the source of heat," Gaara said. His eyes watched Ino's mouth fall open in protest, and he raised the hand that gripped his knee. "He wanted to go. After seeing you fall . . . your friend decided not to let his spared life go to waste."

Ino made a noise in understanding. "How long . . . ?"

"Less than an hour."

Rubbing her raw lips together, Ino went awkwardly back to watching Gaara (as if he had not been speaking with her to begin with) silently go back to fingering the grass. He was weird, she decided. But apparently she owed him her life twice over. Feeling like she was intruding, Ino turned back around. Because of her position, her neck had gotten a crick. She rubbed it. With a start, she jerked her hand away.

"Are you all right?" the Kazekage asked, sounding only slightly concerned, distant.

"Yeah. Something bit me." She blushed at how lame she sounded. Nothing more was said as the two went on ignoring one another. Time passed by slowly, with Ino constantly listening in wait for Choji or Bachika's voice to burst through the nearby brush. At least another hour passed before Ino's thoughts turned sour. She noticed that her breathing was becoming labored with her rising concern. An overwhelming sense of doom swept over her, and it was all she could do not to cry. Her back now not only felt sore, but was becoming tense with worried anticipation. Ino didn't know what to do with herself. Her heart-rate slowly began picking up. She couldn't keep her breath. Her eyes began seeking franticly around. The water sloshed. Through her panic, Ino heard Gaara's light footsteps and watched him squat in front of her.

"Stop," he hummed, reaching a hand out to grasp her shoulder.

Until his grasp, Ino had been unaware of her sever shaking. Panting and wild-eyed, she looked at his gaunt face; his expression was faint, but she read into sympathy. "What's," she gulped down hot air, "wrong with me?" Even her voice shook.

"You're having a panic attack," Gaara said, matter-of-factly.

Aware that she was now digging her nails into Gaara's kind wrist, Ino fought a sob. "I can't," she whined.

Gaara said nothing, but looked her over, a somewhat puzzled expression on his face. Finally, he breathed hard from his nose and pulled from her grip. His brows jumped at Ino's look of displeased fear. "Your partner has been gone for a while," he emphasized quietly, sitting back more comfortably. As he said this, he looked towards the woods. "But you have to . . . stop panicking. If something happened, there's absolutely nothing you can do in this state."

Ino took a few deep breaths. It didn't seem to help much but she closed her eyes and continued doing so. Inwardly, she prayed that Choji was all right. He was the only sense of a family she had left. But no sooner did the thought cross her that Ino felt guilty. Opening her eyes, shakily, Ino tried breathing easily. She looked at Gaara, who was looking at the broken huddle of wood near his previous seat. Karasu. That puppet of Kankuro's. Feeling so selfish, Ino opened her mouth to apologize for her behavior. Her nerves seemed slightly calmed. As is reading her thoughts, Gaara swung his quick gaze back to her.

"Don't," he seemed to warn. "We're allowed to feel sorry for ourselves occasionally in this situation."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ino swallowed her self-pity. A small smile graced her lips. "Thanks," she said. "I appreciate— " She frowned.

Gaara stood. As if awkwardly ignoring her, he crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "If I leave to look for them, will you be okay alone?"

"No," Ino said and started to push herself up. "No, you don't have to. I—" With a gasp, she remembered her clothing and dropped back down. The water splashed Gaara's pant-leg. Gaara's eyes had gone back to her, wide.

Blushing, Ino covered her breasts again and, looking away from Gaara, said, "I can use my jutsu."

"What is your jutsu?" Gaara asked, looking as if clarity just slapped his cheek.

"Mind. I can project myself, among other things.

Intrigued, Gaara uncrossed his arms and glanced around. "But," he began, "you need something to project yourself onto, and there are no creatures around because of this heat."

Laughing softly, Ino felt her panic subsiding to regular worry. "I guess we're the only ones stupid enough to stick around, " she commented, then jerked her head up. She touched the back of her neck. "The beetle!"

Much to her embarrassment, Ino had to have help getting out of the waterhole. She also had to have minor help getting dressed. Her hands felt tired, as if she couldn't grasp. And her knees had given out once as Gaara has gently helped her into her wrappings. His face, turned away most of the time, glossed over with red. Normally Ino felt confident (perhaps overly so) in her appearance. So the thought of a man seeing her naked had always appealed to her. However, now that the thought was playing out, it was awkward and embarrassing. Gaara's hands on her bare flesh did not excite her. The fact that he did not look comfortable made everything even worse.

With her wrappings in place, Ino unsteadily held onto Gaara's shoulder from behind. Her top hung open in the back, and she struggled to pull her skirt up and over her calves. Bending down caused her head to spin, but she nor Gaara wanted his hands near her bottom. Yanking with her free hand, Ino felt the fabric go over one knee, falling lower on the other leg. She was becoming angry and made a noise in her throat. The awkward silence continued when Ino wriggled, maneuvering herself. Her chin rested on the back of Gaara's neck. His dirty hair tickled her nose. She felt him stiffen. Exasperated, Ino yanked her skirt once more. This time, the cloth fell from her grip. On instinct, she rushed to bend and grab it before it fell into the mud. Her head cracked hard against Gaara's shoulder.

Crying out more from frustration than dizzying pain, Ino fell to a sloppy sitting position, muddying up her underwear.

"This isn't helping," Gaara sighed. He turned, bent down, and tossed Ino's skirt into her face. All while frowning and not looking her way. "Get dressed," he griped. "You're capable and we should hurry."

"I can hardly keep a grip on anything!" Ino boomed. "And standing isn't really my strong suite, or haven't you noticed. Geeze," She breathed, feeling a lump come to her throat, "I liked you better when you didn't talk."

"Likewise."

Starring daggers through Garaa's back, Ino finally relented. She still felt weak, but Gaara was ultimately right. Writhing on the ground, she slithered her way into the skirt. By the time she was finished, her entire body was brown and raw. Huffing to signify she was finished, Ino crossed her filthy arms and waited for Gaara to turn back around. He didn't. Face falling, Ino cleared her throat. Getting no response still, she slammed down her open palms. The action caused a squishing sound. "Well," she demanded, her voice strained, "are you going to help me up or what?" Before the last syllable fell from her mouth, strong hands jerked her up. The sleeves of her top drifting down to the creases of her elbows. Oddly enough, the situation and motion didn't hurt anything more than Ino's pride. Gaara twirled her around and draped her arm across his shoulders. Relaxing as he walked her slowly, Ino sighed.

"How do you normally do this?" Gaara asked once they stood in front of the tree. He buttoned Ino's top.

"My body will fall asleep," she said, nodding in thanks. "So I usually sit against something sturdy."

Easing her down, Gaara pushed aside his brother's puppet and prepared Ino a spot. Ino was glad to have moved past the painful conversations and argument. Glad to be fully dressed. Now they could start forgetting that he had seen her nude. Business talk was easier with Gaara.

Retrieving the beetle, the Kazekage knelt beside Ino. The insect fluttered to the ground and began crawling. Ino made a face and looked to Gaara, who looked perplexed. "This is rather unorthodox," he commented.

Grinning, Ino covered her mouth. She suppressed a chuckle, and spoke of desperate times. Starring down the beetle, Ino made her move. A few moments later, she was fluttering by Gaara and through the trees. Surprising to her, the heat did not bother the body of her new friend. Yet her eyesight was poor, as to be expected. She struggled to make out her high surroundings. After a few moments of practice, things looked a little clearer. She could make out the path on the forest floor. Trees and bushes seemed to have been pressed down. Ino spotted a set of foot prints. Much to her dismay, she also noted the burned branches and giant holes full of bubbling lava. Feeling dread, she pushed on. The entire area had been ravaged by fire. She immediately recognized puddles of water near the edge of the pathway. Bachika's technique was water based. More sets of prints showed near the large holes. Ino wanted to cry. She would kill Gaara for allowing Choji, who could not even walk, to leave his sight. Some leader. How could he not have heard the obvious nearby battle? Flying fast, she soon came upon a clearing. Here, the heat seemed to dissipate. Ino perched on a limb and surveyed the surroundings. There was no sign of Choji or what could have created the lava which was obviously the source of heat. Here, the grass was badly blackened, the surviving flowers wilted and shrunk backwards into the shadows. She stared at nature's marred beauty and inwardly wept for the lilies. Each one reminded her of a warrior. Those that were still fighting to survive this war. Hiding now that each sect of the army had been disbanded. The enemy had won. Or was winning. It didn't matter. Naruto was missing, and was the target for both parties. With the army broken apart and so few still living, it would be damned near impossible to locate Naruto. The only part Ino was certain of (the only reason she had not turned her blade against her own artery; why she was still fighting) was that Madara did not possess the Eight Tailed Demon. Wherever Naruto was, was the key to salvaging this wasteland, to stopping the war.

Ino watched as a flower lost its last peddle. The shadows swallowed it. It was only seconds later that something registered within her. The shadows she stared at were too dark. Yes, t was night, but these shadows were pitch black. Not being able to hear, Ino realized with terror, had been a greater disadvantage than she had anticipated. Fluttering across the field, Ino stilled mere centimeters from the shadows of Konoha's border. And, starring hard, she saw ninja amongst the trees. But she dare not move closer, for she knew who one man among them was, and these shadows were his. His zombie was abiding the enemy now. And it broke her heart.

* * *

**NOTE: **Sorry this update took longer than expected. I have been having a few heath problems, and on top of it all, my husband and I have been in the process of moving to Florida. But I hope you enjoyed it. The beetle was slightly odd, maybe, but I thought it was fitting. I tried to make this chapter a little more light-hearted in parts to help slowly build something between Ino and Gaara.

You can expect the next update in January, probably. I would get it to you sooner, but as I said, I will be moving to Florida on the 10th of December. I have a lot of packing, moving, then drving, then unpacking, etc. And I will be working when I get to Florida. Sad to say it will be my first job (kinda late, I know), so I'm worried. I think it will go well, though. I will just have less free time, what with a new semester of school starting up and my having a full-load this time around.

Well, leave me your thoughts on the chapter.


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